A NEW state-of-the-art emergency operating theatre at Royal Surrey County Hospital will enable the NHS Trust to carry out more robotic work within two of its existing 13 operating theatres.

The hospital has invested in two pioneering da Vinci Si robots, so that the surgical teams can perform complex procedures with increased precision, using a minimal invasive approach.

As a result patients benefit from shorter stays in hospital, faster recovery and less discomfort after surgery.

As well as gaining a new theatre, the current recovery area and staff changing facilities are being revamped.

The trust’s chairman John Denning said: “It is vitally important we keep investing and improving our facilities for the benefit of our patients.

“More than 320 people have already been treated in the new theatre.

“It will also assist with the increasing demand for pelvic and urological cancer surgery, as we can now carry this out in two adjacent theatres, fully equipped with robots, which do not have to move.

“The trust has recently been recognised as an epicentre for training in robotic surgery and this will further enhance our opportunities to develop up and coming surgeons.”

Guildford MP Anne Milton, who officially opened the new facilities, said: “It is always a pleasure to visit the Royal Surrey, and, in particular, to open the new operating theatre.

“The staff are utterly committed to providing the very best care and for them to have the very best facilities makes their job easier, safer and gives them the new equipment and training opportunities they need.

“My thanks to the staff for the care they give to my constituents in what I know are challenging times.”